When Life Gives You Lemons…

I woke up this morning in the best mood. My head was filled with incredible memories from the dance party, and I also managed to get a solid eight hours of sleep. It was time to start my day! However, as I lifted my head to get out of bed, I heard a horrible, loud grinding sound. My body had other plans. I stood up (well aware of the fact that the noise I had heard was in no way a sign of good health) and realized that I could not move my neck at all. When I did attempt to turn my head, I felt pain that radiated down my entire body and took my breath away. At this point I was still confident that I could go about my day in a normal fashion. I began brushing my teeth and picking my outfit for the day. At some point, I realized that the pain I was feeling was unbearable. I decided to tell Chandler and Andrea about what was happening and they—being the rock stars they are—helped me take pain medicine, figured out how to create a makeshift heating pad, and got be breakfast. In addition to caring for me, they informed Dr. P about the situation. Mollie and Dr. P quickly came to our room to check on me.

Dr. P immediately came up with a game plan. He asked Mollie to find heating pads at the nearest drug store and contacted On Call. On Call and Dr. P worked together to find a doctor in Munich that had an appointment open to see me. Around four hours later, I had an appointment. I was informed of this appointment fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, and Dr. P and I somehow made it to the office on time, but the On Call guarantee of payment did not arrive at the office until forty-one minutes after the scheduled appointment time.

Finally, I was called to an examination room. The doctor came in within about ten minutes of waiting and decided what the problem was within five minutes of being in the room. He adjusted my neck which—for those of you who have never been to a chiropractor—means that he somehow pulled my head and twisted my neck in a way that caused a popping sound that “readjusted” my neck bones. This might have been one of the most terrifying moments of my life if I am being completely honest, but shortly after, I had a bit more movement in my neck and had a bit more hope that I might survive.

The chiropractor and I discussed his second home in north Florida and I explained to him why exactly I was in Munich. He thought that Dr. P and what he is accomplishing with Cultural Routes were amazing. He described that he believes that future generations can make the world a better place if they get an education similar to what Cultural Routes teaches us. This statement reminded me of how lucky I am to be a part of CR and how excited I am to continue learning the histories of these cities.

The doctor gave his farewells and good wishes, and I was in a great mood again. I was ready to go to the pharmacy, get my medication, and go back to the hotel to rest so that I could be on my a-game for the castles tomorrow. Instead, confusion regarding insurance and a bit of a language barrier kept us at the office for an extra two hours. The best part of all of the waiting was when Dr. P and I realized that the girl who had been working the front desk was actually two twin girls. When both sisters were standing behind the desk at the same time, it clicked. Dr. P and I immediately looked at each other and started laughing.

I finally thought Dr. P and I were in the clear when we got to the pharmacy, but it turns out that the doctor did not write the dosages for each medication. At this point, the doctor’s office was closing in less than five minutes and no one was answering the calls from the pharmacy, so Dr. P decided to run back to the doctor. He managed to make it before they closed. As you might have guessed, it was not over yet. The pharmacist quickly recognized that the muscle relaxant dosage was extremely high (20 mg instead of 2 mg). The pharmacy had to call the doctor again, and thankfully, this time there was an answer to confirm that the dosage was indeed incorrect.

In the end, I got my medication, Mollie brought me amazing vegan food for dinner, and everything was fine. It definitely ended up taking much more time than necessary, but it was an experience. Dr. P taught me a lot about patience today. Although absolutely everything that could have went wrong happened, he stayed calm and even cracked jokes about the front desk twins, my stylish neck brace, and my new theme song (to go along with the new brace): “U Got the Look” by Prince. Today helped me become a bit more patient, and taught me that sometimes a situation can be so frustrating that all you can do is laugh.

Hopefully, I will be able to hold my head and neck in a straight, upright position in the morning. Gute Nacht!

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5 Comments

As your mom, being so far away is difficult, but I am so thankful your friends and Dr. P were there for you when I couldn’t be. You are my daughter, high pain threshold and strong girl. You will feel better soon, this is just a minor bump in the road….a memory filled with rough times but most of all great support to get you through. I am proud of you, you handled a crazy situation with grace.❤

Yes you were very fortunate to have someone like “Dr. P ” there to help you deal effectively with a very complex set of variables . And yes another great opportunity for a personal growth experience. Learning the importance of the motto ” Keep Your Sense Of Humor ” in such situations makes dealing with the challenges of life so much more pleasant for you personally & for those around you !!
Best Wishes for a speedy recovery !

OH Cass I’m sorry that you had to go through that, but think of the stories you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren!
I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures. Keep the blogs coming.
Stay well- I love you